Shelter
by ShadowoftheHeart
Summary: Light Maerad and Cadvan fluff. Takes place after Riddle.


(Maerad/Cadvan)

(Maerad/Cadvan fluff, have not read the singing yet since I live in America and my parents won't let me buy it off line because they sat it is a waste of money. Evil parents…takes place after the riddle…)

Maerad of Pellinor rested recumbently under the broad expanse of a great oak. Its vast shade swallowed her up, shielding her from the sun. She was drifting in idle thought and taking a quick rest from the day's journey. Cadvan had wandered off somewhere, having muttered something about sensing mushrooms nearby.

The thought of the mysterious bard of Lirigon made Maerad shift slightly. A picture of his striking features came to mind. She could see the amiable, but striking outline of his handsome face, his dark hair cascading in unruly waves about his head, and his opaque blue eyes, which seldom betrayed a flicker of emotion.

He was an enigmatic fellow, yet one that was very revered and someone Maerad was gradually learning to trust. She was still getting used to Cadvan's tendencies to flit between joviality and sobriety at a mere second.

Maerad began to think of their quest for the Light and how uncertain she still was.

_Elednor… _

Her lips pursed into an uneasy frown, but her reverie was broken by the merry voice of Cadvan.

"There was a fine patch there! I knew your keen wolf senses pointed us in the right direction. Now we can feast, but if only we had some butter…" the bard began to murmur to himself on the status of the mushrooms he had discovered.

Maerad rose to her feet and shook her head in amusement. She watched as Cadvan dismounted his sleek stallion Darsor nimbly and withdrew several mushrooms from his pocket that he had wrapped up in the bowels of his dark clothing. He became immersed in drawing up a fire and began to hum mellifluously to himself as he prepared their evening meal.

Maerad observed Cadvan in a quiet silence as he poked at the fire, tending to his mushrooms with a meticulous fondness. She noticed something then. With his head bent over the fire, a few dark locks of hair clung in front of his face. Maerad's leaned inward and drew a hand up slightly to draw the hair from his face, yet stilled abruptly when Cadvan glanced at her.

He noticed Maerad looked somewhat startled and that she had a hand frozen in mid-air. She dropped it swiftly as Cadvan cocked an eyebrow, but he dismissed it.

"We should reach Innail soon. I am anxious to hear from Malgorn and the others," he stated coolly.

Maerad nodded. "I can't wait to see Silvia and everyone again. I'm afraid though, after hearing of all these attacks…"

Cadvan look at her softly. "Don't worry Maerad, we shall find out in due time." He glanced down at the fire then and his mouth upturned into a slight grin. "Mushrooms?" He held some up to her, and Maerad blinked before taking some.

They ate and Cadvan chattered about something pertaining to a lesson and then the weather, yet Maerad's mind was preoccupied with other things. She kept glancing up from her meal at the bard and her eyes studied the graceful contours of his face. Her eyes glimmered somewhat at the sight a of a curling scar near of his eyes and she thought back to that time when she had been close to losing him, if it hadn't been for Nelac of Norloch.

Cadvan noticed something was amiss and glanced questionably at her. "Maerad? What ails you? Are the mushrooms dissatisfactory to your liking?"

Maerad shook her head and looked at him awkwardly. "I'm sorry, no they're fine. I was just thinking." Her gaze became downcast and Cadvan became dubious, yet said nothing of it.

They had cleaned up their meal and began to travel for some more time before dark clouds began to stretch overhead. Cadvan halted for a moment and frowned as a light drop of rain struck his palm. Maerad trailed after him in her wolf form, seldom having transforming back to her true self for safety.

"Looks like a rainfall soon. I do not know how bad, but perhaps we should seek shelter," Cadvan observed. He glanced back at the wolf peering up at him with her glowing blue eyes and a strange look passed across his face. "It's still hard for me to get used to you like that."

They continued onward, but before long rain began to pelter them and they were drenched to the bone. They picked up their pace swiftly and sloshed through muck. Soon Maerad's nose quivered as Cadvan brought Darsor to a quick stop and pointed directly ahead where a series of large rocks rested.

Cadvan inspected the area and had to duck in order to get in. Darsor could barely squeeze in, but the area widened towards the back. Maerad glanced around the damp area and felt the cold stone beneath her paws. She looked up toward Cadvan, whom rubbed his arms and shivered.

"We should rest here for the night. By the Light, I'm drenched." He plopped down for a moment and pressed his back against the hard stone. His dark hair clung to his face and he glanced at Maerad as she shook a lot of the water out of her fur and lay down to peer up at him silently.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Cadvan chuckled. "You're lucky to have that fur. It's rather strange talking to a wolf you know. I suppose I don't have much of a choice though. We've imposed enough risk as it is."

His teeth began to chatter and Cadvan grumbled something to himself. Maerad's blue eyes flickered.

_You can catch a cold._

Cadvan looked at her and wrapped his cloak closer about him.

_The packs are wet too, so I'll have to wait to dry. I'll be fine._

Maerad doubted him, but said no more for a long while. She observed Cadvan as he tried to find a position to rest while she was on watch, yet he had difficulty doing so. His figure was trembling slightly and he was obviously cold, yet he maintained a standard of calm. Maerad went along with it for a while before quietly nestling up beside him and pressing her furry mane against him, immersing him in its downy warmth.

Cadvan stirred in surprise and Maerad eyed him softly. A smile passed across Cadvan's face and he laughed quietly. "Maerad, really…"

Her blue gaze became fiercer and he quieted. Cadvan gradually let his hands graze Maerad's supple coat and he felt her shift slightly at the contact. He rested his body slightly against hers and buried the side of his into her fur. He breathed a sigh and eased.

"Thank you Maerad."

If wolfs could blush, Maerad was doing it now. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and palpable against her.

_Just go to sleep. _She admonished with a light sternness.

She did not catch Cadvan's smile before he drifted into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
